We expected to encounter situations of acute stress during our behind-the-scenes tour of Live from the Universe last weekend. Spoiler alert: nothing like this was observed… despite two incidents that would certainly have destabilized a less experienced team.
We expected to plunge into the heart of a frantic race, because after all, every week, France Beaudoin’s popular television show is broadcast – as its title indicates – live, after two days of intensive rehearsals at the Studios Grandé, in the Sud-Ouest borough, in Montreal. Around fifteen hours of rehearsals to produce a 60-minute show, which includes a host of ambitious musical numbers, bringing together professionals, but also amateurs, relatives of the guest artist, who have never sung in audience. All without a net.
And to exacerbate this potential tension, the slightest error is made in front of, on average, 1,208,000 viewers, according to confirmed data from Numéris.
In short, we would get angry unless it was less. Much less.
And yet, relaxed smiles largely supplanted worried brows among the team of 125 people preparing the show on Saturday. No semblance of an altercation, instead lots of high fives, a few hugs, jokes and lots and lots (watch out for the trendy 2020s term) of kindness.
In an interview during a lunch break, after having apologized profusely for the lack of juicy details that she could give us, France Beaudoin speaks of a “zero wasted energy” policy, which is based around a reduction in unnecessary agitation. . In other words, no one is “burning gas over any conflict and/or stupidity,” says the host.
“There are people who might think they’re important, people who might be tempted to shout because we’re going live on Saturday night. But no one here needs to raise their voice to show they are alive. Everyone can be effective while having fun. Everyone does their max, max, max, but no one yells at anyone,” underlines the host, associate producer and collector of Gemini trophies.
Content producer with Josée Beaudoin (France’s sister), Marie-Claude Lévesque describes the atmosphere as “family”. Supporting evidence: the new mother is often accompanied by Alexis, her 18-month-old son, when she attends rehearsals. Equipped with noise-cancelling headphones to attenuate particularly loud sounds, such as those emanating from drummer Paul Brochu, the little man seems happy as a fish in water.
“Work-family balance is one of France’s [Beaudoin] values as a leader,” says Marie-Claude Lévesque, who lives in Baie-Comeau, an eight-hour drive from Montreal. When I come, I often bring my child, my boyfriend, my parents… It’s very open. »
It’s obvious that the En direct de l’univers team is tight-knit. Several have been working on it since its launch on ICI Télé in September 2009.
Over the seasons, the team has established various rituals. We sing the same song just before going on the air, while France Beaudoin distributes fist bumps. After the show, we decant over a beer, a glass of wine or a non-alcoholic cocktail on the second floor of the studio. And when we finish rehearsing a number a few minutes earlier than expected (which rarely happens, given the tight schedule and enormous workload), a mini musical quiz is organized. (Anecdote that grossly lacks humility: the journalist who signed this article won the flash edition held in the middle of the afternoon, after recognizing A View to a Kill by Duran Duran in 0.5 seconds.)
“We have been working together for so many years,” comments the musical director, Jean-Benoit Lasanté. It’s an extraordinary atmosphere. All we do is trip. »
Despite an adrenaline rush at 7 p.m. sharp, when recording began, this friendly, even relaxed atmosphere continued last Saturday… even when the team learned, by consulting the comments on Facebook, that a An increasing number of viewers were complaining about intermittent sound losses. The existence of the technical glitch (resulting from a defective piece of equipment, Radio-Canada will later explain to us) spread like wildfire in the studio, hence this frantic race of a manager, observed behind the scenes at the start of the show.
But as soon as the team realized that it was a broadcasting problem that affected the Montreal region, and that they had nothing to do with it, the state of zenitude returned at a gallop.
Same phenomenon when Mariana Mazza accidentally revealed her chest, while she was jumping frantically while singing Get Down by Backstreet Boys. The main person concerned seemed taken aback after the incident, but no one panicked, especially since after checking the images, the worst had been avoided. Barely.
For how many more years will the show En direct de l’univers succeed in brightening up our Saturday evenings? Hard to say. One thing is certain, France Beaudoin will strive to find ways to surprise the public – and especially her team – until the very last episode.
“As soon as we sit down, it’s over,” believes the host. That’s why at the start of the season, it was important for me to arrive with Zaz, Paul Piché who is being kidnapped, a Little Life special, new ideas… To stimulate the troops. Our team is made up of people who thrive on challenges. People for whom it is a driving force. People who question everything all the time, for whom it’s never over until the show is made. When you bring these types of people together on the same team, it creates an extraordinary television machine. »
